MASSILLON – Though the location might have been different then the one they expected, the result was the same on Friday afternoon for the New Bremen Cardinals who secured their first ever football state championship with a 31-0 blowout victory over Warren JFK.
Originally scheduled for the Columbus area and the stage at Fortress Obetz the D7 finals were forced to be moved to Massillon’s historic Paul Brown Tiger Stadium just a day before the game took place.
New Bremen’s first possession ended on a turnover on downs but their second provided the only score of the first half as a 39 yard jaunt from sophomore runningback Hunter Schaefer gave the Cardinals the first lead by either team on the day. Schaefer replaced injured senior teammate Zach Bertke in last weeks state semifinals and amassed nearly 70 yards and a score in the win over Lima Central Catholic and would prove to be invaluable on this day for New Bremen.
On the first drive of the second half and leading by a touchdown the Cardinals upped their lead to 14-0 with 9:09 remaining in the third with a one yard touchdown run by Mitchell Hays to cap off an impressive opening drive that spanned 66 yards and covered nearly three minutes of game time.
Warren JFK’s luck continued to be bad on their next drive as a receiver fumbled the football at his own six yard line thanks to a hit from linebacker Wyatt Dicke that would ultimately lead to a 20-yard Owen Gable field goal and a 17-0 lead just moments later.
Cam Hollobaugh, an All-Ohio selection for the Eagles just a year ago found there to be nowhere to hide from the soaring Cardinals defense on his teams next possession as he was sacked and forced to turn the football over to punter Nick Fordeley.
The old saying about in the biggest games the best players shine the brightest proved true for New Bremen once again on their ensuing punt return when sophomore standout David Homan raced 45 yards through the Eagles defense for a punt return touchdown and a 24-0 lead late in the stanza for the Cardinals.
Working with a short field once again on their next drive, the New Bremen offense added the final touches and a running clock to their masterful performance on when Mitchell Hays found senior wideout Dan Homan on a 19-yard hookup and an Owen Gable extra point for a 31-0 advantage.
Once the clock ticked down the final moments the Cardinals completed a dream post season that featured four teams with a combined 33-8 record in their last months worth of games and secures the first state championship football trophy in school history.
Not only does the Cardinals win complete a turnaround for a team that was once near the brink of a possible extinction, it also gives the Midwest Athletic Conference a ninth member school to have won a football crown and represents the 137th title for the league and the 36th to have come on the gridiron.
Hunter Schaefer led all rushers with his first career triple digit rushing game as he finished with 101 yards and a score. QB Hays finished his day 5 of 6 for 61 yards and a score while Dan Homan hauled in a trio of throws for 31 yards and a touchdown reception.
Defensively the Eagles, a high powered offense was held to 133 total yards on 48 plays from scrimmage while New Bremen amassed 247 yards on 44 plays.